Outside of Shannon, Ireland, a 19th-century Gothic revival castle has been operating since 1963 as the Dromoland Castle hotel (phone +353 61 368144 or, from the US, 800/346-7007). Room rates at the 5-star hotel run €378-€1,044 (near $493-$1,361) in summer and €176-€585 in winter.
Crystal Cruises (800/337-9568) is instituting a more restrictive smoking policy.
Effective with the first cruises in 2014, smoking indoors will be permitted only in each ship’s Connoisseur Club smoking lounge. Smoking will be prohibited in all other public rooms, lounges, corridors and restaurants as well as in all staterooms, suites and verandahs. If smoke is detected in a stateroom or suite, a cleaning fee of $250 will be charged.
Four-day, three-night journeys between Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador, aboard the 54-passenger train Tren Crucero are available from Tren Ecuador (Sincholagua s/n and Av. Maldonado, Quito; phone 593 2 399 2100, ext. 1175).
Running from the coast up through the Andes, with views of tropical forests and volcanoes, the train ride varies from 50 to 86 miles each day, with passengers staying in hotels at night. The itinerary includes visits to villages, markets and ranches. On two of the four days, steam locomotives are used.
Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher, a 3-hour drive west of Dublin, have a new coastal walking trail that cost €400,000 to establish.
Starting at the Cliffs of Moher visitor center (phone +353 65 708 6141, www.cliffsofmoher.ie), the 12-mile trail offers views from the cliffs, which reach up to 700 feet above the sea below. The path, at points, has steep ascents, no handrails and narrow flagstone steps. Facilities include a restaurant, a café, a gift shop, toilets and picnic areas. No dogs allowed.
In Warsaw, Poland, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews (6 Anielewicza St.; phone +48 22 471 0300, www.jewishmuseum.org.pl) opened in April.
The core exhibition is still being installed and is due to open in 2014. In the meantime, the new, 43,000-square-foot building is hosting temporary exhibitions, film screenings and performances. At press time, all exhibitions had free admission. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.
In southern England’s Wiltshire county, the A344 toll road that ran next to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Stonehenge has been closed and will be torn up and planted over with grass as part of a refurbishment project designed to protect the entire site and improve visitors’ experience.
A 3-hour drive southwest of Bristol, England, near Newquay, the museum Classic Air Force (Hangar 404, Aerohub 1, Newquay Cornwall Airport, St. Mawgan, Cornwall, TR8 4HP, U.K.; phone 01637 860717) exhibits more than 20 vintage airplanes.
Open daily 10 a.m.-8 p.m. July and August and until 6 p.m. other months. £10 (near $15) adult or £6 senior.
On the southern Caribbean island of Curaçao, visitors of all ages can interact with some of the 21 trained dolphins at the Dolphin Academy (phone +5999 4658900), located at the Curaçao Sea Aquarium in Willemstad.
In the “Dolphin Encounter” package, up to six people and a trainer stand in water and gently interact with a dolphin (15-20 minutes for $89 adult or $44.50 child).
“Dolphin Swim” is in the lagoon (30 minutes, $159).
The 500-year history of Madrid’s Royal Guard is the focus of a 2-hour guided walking tour, available in Spanish and English. At the end of the tour, walkers can watch the Solemn Changing of the Royal Guard, which involves 400 troops and 100 horses.
For visitors to India, Yes Bank and the Indian Ministry of Tourism have launched the Incredible India Travel Card, a prepaid travel card denominated in rupees.
The card can be preloaded with up to INR50,000, which can be withdrawn as cash at ATMs countrywide. The card can be used for purchases anywhere in India that takes MasterCard (but, if lost, is not tied to any credit card account). It is available at Yes Bank branches, money changers and participating hotels and travel agencies.